How to fix a faulty MiniDisc slot loader
In the Patreon update I mentioned how tech keeps failing on me at the moment.
Here’s a short repair video showing how I got one device up and running again. I just wish every fix was as simple.
That’s it - just a mini video this time, take care.
Comments (48)
I have an MDS JE510. it has NO belts. ;-)
Speaking of retro grooves... I tried searching for it and found the website of the label but... I cannot find where I could purchase them. Md edition would be a plus for sure
I think Anders sold out of all his physical minidiscs.
Being in the US and not having seen a minidisc player around here, I still say this is a great instruction video. And I agree with Asaf, your confidence level is quite high with this video - you could still have come across something else you weren't expecting. Another Excellent Video, good sir!
Just wanted to alert you to ceramic nosed tweezers. Perfect for this sort of thing where you really don’t want to cause physical or ESD damage to the internals of something. I know a) you may already know about them and b) this was meant to be a “simple” follow along video, but if you’ve not seen them, you might want to grab a cheap pair and see if they help you in the future!
I’ll take a look.
Exactly what I needed to fix my Sony Lissa MD deck. Thank you!
I've recently acquired a Sony MDS -JE330 MD deck which will not load disks. It spits them back out with an error message 'C13'. Could this also be related to the same belt or would this be a laser issue?
I’d guess at that being the issue but you might want to ask/look on the minidisc wiki to see if there’s an answer there.
Mat, off topic, but just saw this VHS equivalent (sort of) to the Cleankit Cassette Cleaner JT1000: https://www.ebay.com/itm/394297016247 Can't imagine it would make an interesting topic for a video, other then 'it's a thing.'
That’s the first one of those I’ve seen - I suppose it makes sense that some video transfer places might have needed these for mouldy tapes. You’re right, there’s not much to say about it now, but thanks for the link.
Does this give you any more insight into the pile of portable Mini Disc players that had stopped working, or are they all just laser issues?
This only applies to the decks with the slot loading, methinks. (whispers : please post the 10 hours of portable Minidisc operation testing/cleaning)
This short video got me back into trying to fix the minidisc player in my car radio. So there's is now a kinda ugly Panasonic double din cd/dvd/md/hdd/sd/ tv/navi head unit with a confirmed working md drive on its way from Japan to me to try and fix my cool Panasonic car radio! So thanks for that! :) Always enjoy your videos, thanks!
I've never seen Mat go into a repair project THIS confident. I like it (not taking away anything from the more intrepid attempts, these are great too)
Ah that’s only because I’ve done this before on another machine…I made all the mistakes then.
I have seen somewhere a pair of tweezers that are diamond shaped at the business end for gripping belts. Can anyone tell me where to find them ? They look ideal for those fiddly belt changes. Much appreciated as is this video.
Fantastic, thanks Mat! I have the same Sony QS MD component (without the keyboard port) and I’ll now know what to do when the MDs fail to eject. Very helpful indeed
I have a slot loading Sony MiniDisc player (bought after watching one of your videos) and a copy of Retro Grooves Vol 3 (er, bought after watching one of your videos), so I envisage this happening at some point in the future. But when it does, I will be prepared! Looks simpler than some tape belts I've had to replace.
Love the easy ones, and as you say it's amazing how many electronic devices get trashed over the simplest of things.
Great video. 100% the same issue on my JE-440 machine a couple of years ago. I disassembled more than necessary after seeing your method, but got there in the end. Replaced the belt and never missed a beat since.
The same thing happens to vintage Mac floppy drive eject mechanism, only with a floppy disk and a knackered cog rather than minidisc and a knackered belt.
I’ve seen the repair on those - it’s quite a bit more fiddly…I’m glad this one is this simple.
I do love a good repair video. I have learned a lot, and hopefully I will become brave enough to tackle my Marantz SD 2030 cassette deck repair. I'm hoping that all it needs is some belt goo cleaning and replacement. Sorta wish I did have an MD deck to repair. 👍🏻 As always, take care and be safe. 🙂
Thank you Mat! I have this exact issue with an MDS-JE510. I will try to fix it!
I also have the same player so that is very useful, thanks! Might buy a spare belt now for the future. I had similar issues with my first ever deck (the MD-S38) which I solved with the help of this old-school repair guide - classic old HTML! https://snnake11.tripod.com/
If you’re in the U.K. - get the belt from here. I ordered from three different suppliers and these were the only one that supplied a belt to the correct thickness and dimensions. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194403744072
Too late. It happened to mine and I wrecked the mechanism forcing it out. Had to buy a new player. 😢
Sorry to hear that - with this old stuff it’s all live and learn. I’ve made more than my fair share of cock-ups.
Great instructional video. The red grounding wire on the other side (not the spring side) appeared to be attached to the plastic bit that lifts up. Seems odd.
I suppose they liked the symmetry.
A neat and simple little Mini Video, Mat. Nice. :-)
Short and to the point. Good repair video. Oh, that more YouTube "presenters" had half the skill of our hero, Mat.
Thanks for this Mat - I’ve got the exact same model MD player. It’s still going strong but if it ever fails like this I’ll know what to do! 👍🏻
Did the same repair last year to my Sony 430..think its the same belt for almost all sony hifi seperate MDs..Also bought a 300 disc sony megachanger as parts not working,turns out a couple of new belts has it running like new,,what a machine the mega changer is too.A must for large cd collections and great sound.
My Sony MD stereo component deck also had a loading issue. It was some sort of end-stop switch, but now that it's been years I'll definitely need to check the belts because my unit is from the mid 90s.
Just for fun (another youtuber "South Main Auto" says) when Mat does a repair he can say "If I can do it you can do it!"
Great video - I noticed that the screw for the ground wire was very loose...
That’s one of us.
Murphy's Law of probability is alive and well but you won this time. Since Murphy loves old tech I'm confident he will return ... probably during the next video you are hurrying to complete. Thanks for the simple how-to video.
What a great intersection of my favorite things - quick videos, repairs, minidiscs
Thanks for this useful video. I have 2 slot loading minidisc recorders. One is the same model shown in the video.
A refreshingly simple fix, does make me wonder what impact this fault had on the lifespan of MD though and how it might be different if they just used a gear. I see this is a NetMD device but wasn't in the previous video. Is it just this fault that stopped it being featured?
I wouldn’t have wanted to unplug it from the HiFi and wrestle with the rats nest of wires just to demo the Net MD feature, but I also didn’t have the option to, because the fault occurred before I shot the Net MD video and I fixed it after.
A simple fix but good to know. I think my father in law has that same machine.
Thanks Mat. My friend Robin has a machine like yours. He has not used it in years because the same Madonna MiniDisc is stuck in it. He got me to look at it and I was too scared to take it to bits. I will email him the link to the video when it is public. I have one suggestion - please put in the description "SONY" and perhaps the model number of your player in case others search for the same fix. Best wishes.
I’ve added in the Sony, it was there originally, I don’t know why/how it vanished. However the model number isn’t as important as I’ve already seen this same mech in a couple of machines and I suspect it was used in a lot more.
Thanks for this, I've got a machine I've never gotten around to sorting out, this makes it worth doing now as I can follow your guide, good work. keep smiling